


Liner Notes

by megyal



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Community: kakairu_fest, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-29
Updated: 2013-08-29
Packaged: 2017-12-24 23:44:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/946101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megyal/pseuds/megyal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iruka was once the lead-singer of the punk-rock band Sakumo and the White Fangs; years later, The White Fangs is a chart-topping success with Anko as the lead singer, and Iruka is now the manager of a music store. Everything is as it should be, until Kakashi drops by.<br/><b>Contains [warnings]:</b> Minor character death</p>
            </blockquote>





	Liner Notes

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Kakairu Fest Summer Round 2013: Team Bingo](http://kakairu-fest.livejournal.com/105715.html). I wrote for Team AU.

Iruka is in his small office when Kotetsu kicks open the door and stares at him as if Iruka had been committing heinous crimes instead of agonizing over the payroll.

"Hey, Kotetsu," Iruka says, keeping his tone as level as possible. "Is there a problem?"

Kotetsu shakes his head slowly and then nods. He goes back to shaking his head and Iruka gets up from his seat with not a little alarm. Kotetsu is _quiet_ , which...never happens. Ever. Usually, Kotetsu goes a mile a minute about inanities that drive Izumo up the wall, so this silence from him is uncharacteristic and freaky. Iruka wonders if someone is robbing them blind out there. Probably not; he would have heard Izumo's stern yells.

Kotetsu clears his throat and says, "So."

Iruka tries to look over his shoulder down the corridor which leads to the main floor of the store, but Kotetsu's hair is blocking most of his view.

"Yeah, so," Kotetsu says and blinks rapidly.

"Try simple sentences," Iruka suggests. "Get it out, a little bit at a time."

"There's a man out there to you," Kotetsu lets out in a quick rush and he looks relieved that he could have gotten out the words. 

"Okay," Iruka says, very slowly. "Who?"

At this, Kotetsu descends into flailing and Iruka is completely mystified. He walks around his desk, heads for the door and squeezes around Kotetsu. He strides down the shadowy corridor, and then turns left into the space behind the cashier area. 

The main doors are locked, which would have infuriated Iruka if he didn't realise _why_ they were closed: on the worn sidewalk outside is a crowd of people, many of them pressed against the tinted glass of the door. Many of them are young females with books and pencils. Others seem to be members of the media, and flashes of the cameras cause Iruka to squint. There are two very large men standing just inside the doors; they're as large as houses, with beefy arms folded over their barrel-like chests. Izumo is standing near them, giving them his version of the evil eye. It's really not that evil.

There are still a few customers trapped inside, some of them standing near the ends of the aisles and peering over the displays. The man they're staring at is tall and slender, with messy hair and a black patch over his left eye. He's dressed in dark jeans and a red hooded jacket; the hood is pulled up over his head, covering the pale strands. This man is Kakashi, the lead guitarist of The White Fangs. He's the reason why the storefront is packed with gawkers and weeping fans.

_Great._

Kakashi leans against the cashier's counter and looks at Iruka, his eye regarding Iruka with little emotion; it's as if Iruka is meeting him for the first time.

"Hello, Iruka," Kakashi finally says, and his low voice pushes Iruka eleven years back into his past, when he was fifteen and full of dreams so visceral that he screamed them out at the top of his lungs, so they wouldn't choke him. The customers' heads swivel from Kakashi to Iruka, and their breathless wonder is palpable.

Iruka swallows and then lets out a short breath before he speaks. He's really glad to hear how level his voice sounds. "Kakashi. It's been a long time."

Kakashi doesn't smile, but a general air of amusement emanates from him. "It has. It's very nice to see you." He looks around, his gaze trailing over the guitars hung on the walls, the keyboards, the compact discs and LP's and the little nooks in which students are taught music.

"This place is still very... nice," he murmurs, and although there's no audible trace of derision in his tone, Iruka still bristles internally. Kakashi had this offhand way of commenting on Iruka's entirety that used to piss him off so much; he never had any idea how to counter Kakashi's particular brand of attention. 

"It is." Iruka is really proud of how he keeps his voice very level. 

"I remember your mother standing behind there." Kakashi gestures with his chin towards the cashier's area.

"Yes." Iruka takes a slow breath, pushing back the hazy, smiling memory of his mother. "So...is there something you need?"

Kakashi just gives him a long look out of the corner of his eye. It's a ridiculous question, Iruka is aware of that; he's seen the posters all over town, giddily announcing the band's tenth anniversary show in their home-town. Konoha's old Concert Hall has been undergoing a whirlwind upgrade for the concert, mostly to the entrance and the restrooms. Iruka knows nearly everything about the refurbishment, since he lives beside the main contractor; Yamato likes to come over and complain about every single irritating event on-site.

Since this week, the store has had hordes of people come in asking for the band's older albums. There was even a reporter who'd managed to find out that the White Fangs had been allowed to use the back storage as a practice space when they'd first started out. The entire town has been caught up in excitement and pride, and Iruka is happy for The White Fangs, he really is. He just doesn't really want to be a part of it; he'd left all of that behind years ago.

"I don't need anything," Kakashi says, and Iruka hears the unspoken _not from you_. "I thought you might like to attend the show. For old time's sake."

It's been a long time that Iruka has felt this taken aback. "Old...time's--"

"I have tickets." Kakashi withdraws one of his hands from where it's jammed into the pockets of his hooded jacket, withdrawing two white strips of paper and two plastic holders. "And backstage passes, if you want."

He holds them out, and he manages to gaze off to one side as he does so, as if the action of giving these items to Iruka is slightly painful. Iruka plucks them out of his hand, mostly out of the strong sense of etiquette his mother pounded into his head as a kid. Kakashi sticks his hand into his pocket and turns on his heel, waving one hand over his shoulder.

"See you around, Rukie."

Iruka grits his teeth, but the sound of it is lost under the increasing shrieks and shouts of the people outside. Izumo opens the door and the crowd swarms in. A wave of concern cascades over Iruka, for the fans are reaching out, grabbing at any part of Kakashi they can touch. Kakashi keeps his head down, shoulders hunched up so high that it seems as if they're touching his ears. The two massive men form a protective barrier around him and they push their way through the rabble with rough ease. A large vehicle, blocky and darkly tinted, is waiting at the curb and Kakashi jumps in, followed closely by the two bodyguards. The car moves off slowly, because people are plastering themselves across the windshield and screaming at the windows.

The doors slam shut; the customers who had been inside have raced out as well, many of them gripping their phones. In a few minutes, the store is going to get some free advertising on a very wide array of social media, just because Kakashi had walked in and spoken to the manager. Iruka isn't actually looking forward to that.

Iruka looks down at the tickets and passes in his hand, and when he glances up again, Izumo and Kotetsu are in front of him, their grins wide and charming.

"Um," Iruka says, backing away slowly from the maniacal tinge in their expressions.

"Iruka." Izumo's voice is syrupy-sweet. "Boss. Best boss _ever_. I've been Employee of the Month for the past two months at this store. I think I deserve something for that."

"Your picture is on the wall," Iruka points out. "And you got gift-certificates for Hokage Mountain."

"I've been all the rides already," Izumo says, conveniently forgetting the fact that he claims he would go to Hokage Mountain every day if allowed. " _All of them_. But you know what might be better? A ticket to see The White Fangs, with a backstage pass."

"I've been friends with you for much longer than him," Kotetsu argues, his hair bristling. "And I'm much nicer than Izumo, I deserve to go with you to see The White Fangs." Kotetsu nods to himself in satisfaction and then dodges Izumo's elbow.

"Please, _Rukie_?" Kotetsu begs and the both of them descend into hysterical giggles. "I can't believe you even know him! You know Kakashi of the White Fang, what is your _life_?"

"I knew him a long time ago." Iruka held out the tickets and the passes out to them. "Take these. Both of you can go. Consider it a preemptive bonus, or whatever."

Kotetsu takes the sturdy pieces of paper as if they're made of rare and precious metal. He looks at Iruka with a perplexed furrow between his eyebrows.

"You got _free tickets_ and _backstage passes_ to see The White Fangs," Izumo says. "You got them from _Kakashi_. Kakashi came into the shop, spoke actual words to you and gave you tickets. And passes."

"I know," Iruka answers, calmly. "I was there a few minutes ago, I remember."

"Right, and...you're not going?" Izumo is completely incredulous. Iruka shrugs.

Iruka shook his head. "Nope."

"He's gone off the deep end." Kotetsu's loud whisper is deeply contemplative. Iruka rolls his eyes and strides back to his office.

"I'm going back to work. Try not to let in any more famous band-members, okay?"

"If Anko comes in next, I won't be responsible for my actions," Kotetsu says. "I'm just telling you this from now."

Iruka knows Anko just as well as he knows Kakashi (not that he's going to tell _these_ two, nor anyone else); he glances over his shoulder and smiles. "I think she would probably say the same thing."

* * *

> "Hey, we're Sakumo and the White Fangs," Iruka said into the microphone and grimaced at the flat quality of his voice. The back storage of his mother's music shop was a large room with a sloping roof, a single, naked bulb glowing dimly over the heads of the band. There were a few wooden steps leading up to a door for the shop. The boxes and crates were their silent audience, listening carefully as Guy thumped out a steady rhythm on the kick-drum, and Genma's awkward bassline layered over that.
> 
> Kakashi's technically beautiful notes, plucked perfectly and yet coldly from his Tele, provided the final overlap for Iruka's voice. 
> 
> "Open your eyes!" Genma yelled over the riot of their sound. Iruka scowled again; he always sang with his eyes closed, out of sheer nervousness, and he kept them firmly shut now. He flinched a little at the sensation of someone behind him, pressing against his back and then Kakashi's breath was against his ear.
> 
> "Open your eyes, Rukie."
> 
> Iruka's eyes flew open and the back of his neck felt very warm. Kakashi remained near him for a few moments, and then stepped away. The door that led to the shop proper was pulled open and Iruka's mother, Chiho, appeared in the doorway, a wide grin on her face. She flicked her long braid over her shoulder and then folded her arms, nodding in time to the beat as Iruka continued to sing about adolescent angst.
> 
> When the last note died down, she clapped really hard.
> 
> " _Mom_ ," Iruka huffed, ducking his head.
> 
> "That was great!" she said, grinning so widely that her cheeks bunched up like a chipmunk's.
> 
> "It was okay." Kakashi seemed to be standing very near to Iruka again. "Iruka needs to sing a bit louder, though."
> 
> "I agree, he has a fantastic voice and it should be shared with the whole world." Chiho nodded her way through another of Iruka's blushes. "He gets it from me, you know. His father is as tone-deaf as a doornail."
> 
> " _Mo-om_." Iruka glared at her as she laughed some more, her dark eyes filled with mirth.
> 
> "Thank you again, Mrs Umino, for letting us use your storage room for practice!" Guy boomed and everyone except Chiho rolled their eyes. He said the same thing every time he saw her, and in the same loud tone of voice.
> 
> Chiho nodded. "When you guys get famous, I deserve some kind of mention in your liner notes, okay?"
> 
> "Deal!" Genma winked at her and Iruka kicked him in the ankle for flirting with his mother. "Ouch! Rukie!"
> 
> "Don't call him that," Kakashi said and Iruka turned to stare at him. Kakashi was the one who started up with that ridiculous nickname, and he used it often because he knew Iruka hated it. For him to tell someone else _not_ to use it was totally weird.
> 
> One of the shop-attendants yelled from the front of the store, their words mostly inaudible to Iruka, but his mother apparently understood.
> 
> "Ok, I'll get it in the office!" she shouted in return, and then flapped a hand at them before she dashed off. "Carry on, my wayward sons!"
> 
> "Your mother is the coolest," Genma said and while Iruka privately agreed, he had to make noises of complete disagreement; teenaged protocol and all.
> 
> "Let's give _Summer Shine_ a shot," Kakashi suggested and Iruka tried not to smile. This was one of Kakashi's songs that he really liked. They had just finished the first verse when Chiho appeared at the door again, her face bright with excitement.
> 
> "Minato just called! Kushina's going into labour right now. I'm going to go home and get them to the hospital."
> 
> "Oh, wow. Finally!" Iruka grinned. His neighbours were a young, happy couple; Iruka liked them. Kushina was loud and exuberant, and yelled at Iruka with great glee every evening when he got home; her partner Minato was very quiet, but he had a sly sense of humour that Iruka appreciated a lot.
> 
> Chiho tossed the shop's keys at him, and Iruka fumbled with them, to no avail. They dropped to the floor with a metallic clatter and Genma snickered.
> 
> "Close up the shop for me, okay?" Her brown eyes were warm for a long moment, before mischief crept in. Iruka braced himself. "Love you, _Rukie-Lukie_."
> 
> Iruka closed his eyes briefly as Genma's chuckles evolved into guffaws. He managed to mutter, "Love you," and she waggled a finger at him and then dashed away.
> 
> "Okay," Kakashi said, strumming a quick chord. "Let's go."
> 
> They practiced about four more songs until closing time. 
> 
> "See you losers later!" Genma called, leaving with Guy. They lived in a nearby nearby community, a quick walk of ten minutes. Kakashi hung around as Iruka checked the doors and armed the security system. 
> 
> "I can't believe your mother stocks Jiraiya's albums," Kakashi said, brushing his fingers over the plastic CD cases and the large, square LP's. "That dude is as raunchy as hell."
> 
> "She's a weird one," Iruka agreed, leaning over the counter to check the cashier's station. When he'd ascertained that the computer was locked, ready to be logged in again tomorrow, he turned around to find Kakashi standing right in front of him. "Umm."
> 
> Kakashi reached out and touched Iruka's left wrist. His fingers were long and cool. Startled, Iruka looked up into his face. The main lights of the shop were already off; only the ones over the entry were still on. Kakashi had his ragged hooded jacket on, the red one he loved to wear. His face was in shadow, so Iruka could not see the scar which trailed over his left brow and under the eye. He could barely make out the pale curve of his cheek.
> 
> "You have the most awesome voice," Kakashi said, and held onto Iruka's wrist properly. "You should really sing louder."
> 
> "I'll try." Iruka smiled at the soft huff of laughter from the other boy.
> 
> "You know, I didn't believe Gen when he said he found a singer for us. The glee club isn't exactly the first place we'd look."
> 
> Iruka laughed. He liked singing in the glee club, but there was something satisfying about being in the band. He even liked the name: Sakumo and The White Fangs. Sakumo was Kakashi's father and as far as Iruka knew, he was still alive and kicking, albeit in a distant fashion if Kakashi was to be believed. It was kind of cool to have their band named after someone still alive.
> 
> They'd already played a few shows, and the local music scene had been pretty kind to them, considering the untrained nature of Iruka's voice. This wasn't the first band that Kakashi, Genma and Guy had been in, though, which was probably the reason why they hadn't been boo'ed off any stage as yet. They used their connections well. Chiho allowed Iruka to go sing with the band, on two conditions: one, they couldn't perform on a school night and two, Kakashi would watch out for him. 
> 
> Kakashi took this role a bit too seriously, sometimes. He did watch Iruka, like a hawk, and reported any wrong-doing to Chiho in a clinical tone which would have made any general proud. He probably didn't remember, but Iruka knew him from school. Kakashi had graduated the year before, as had Genma and Guy, and Iruka was just two years behind them; they'd all been wildly popular students, and Iruka had thought it had been a joke when Genma had approached him after glee practice.
> 
> "I thought you already left school?" Iruka had wondered out loud. Grinning, Genma had jerked his head in the direction of a few waiting girls. "Right," Iruka had said, dryly. Genma had scribbled his address in Iruka's palm, told him to swing by soon and they'd jam. Iruka had showed up, tried not to quail under Kakashi's intent expression as he sang, and then felt lightheaded when Kakashi had said, "Not bad. Not bad at all."
> 
> That was seven small shows ago, and they were set to perform at a festival next week, a collection of popular local bands and quite a few from outside the region as well. Iruka was a mess of excitement and trepidation most of the time, but right now, with Kakashi staring at him in the dimness, he felt all that and more....as if he was on the edge of some high place, breathing shallowly and trying to keep his balance.
> 
> Kakashi stepped even closer, a quick shuffle that seemed awkward, coming from him. He bent his head close and his breath stroked Iruka's lips. Iruka moved forward, seeking the slender length of his body, and their mouths pressed together in an artless fumble. For a moment, Iruka wasn't even sure he was kissing Kakashi's mouth properly. Kakashi laughed a little and then pulled back, angled his head a little and dived in again.
> 
> _Much_ better. Iruka gripped the lapels of his jacket and tried to pull him closer, but they were already close enough for Iruka to feel the quick melody of his heart. His first kiss, _ever_ , and he was scared that it was from another boy, and scared that it felt so right and awesome.
> 
> Kakashi broke the kiss first and pressed his forehead against Iruka's. Iruka licked his lips, still tasting the cautious tease of Kakashi's tongue. 
> 
> "Do you need a ride home?" Kakashi asked, very quietly. The store seemed so big around them, and the darkness was warm and almost cosy. "I have my scooter outside."
> 
> "Sure," Iruka whispered back and for some reason that set both of them off into giggles. He was still chuckling to himself when he locked the front doors and climbed onto the back of Kakashi's silver Vespa, pulling the helmet over his loose hair. He put his arms around Kakashi's waist, and held on tight.
> 
> Kakashi had a nice scent; Iruka put his face against the back of Kakashi's neck and inhaled deeply as Kakashi drove them to Iruka's house. He was enjoying the sensation of Kakashi's shoulder against his cheek when Kakashi called his name over the breeze. There was a strange urgency in his tone, and Iruka lifted his head and peered forward.
> 
> A police vehicle was parked right in front of his family's narrow townhouse, the light atop its roof pulsing so strongly in the dark that Iruka could almost feel the blue strobes whipping along his skin. A police officer in dark clothing stood beside Iruka's father, who was sitting on the curb outside, his face in his hands. Iruka hopped off the back of Kakashi's scooter before it came to a complete stop, ripped the helmet from off his head and dashed over to his father.
> 
> "Dad!" 
> 
> Yasuo got to his feet as if he was a very old man. Tears ran down his cheeks and he put his arms around Iruka, hugging him tight.
> 
> "Dad, what...what's wrong? What is it?" Iruka tried to calm down, but everything felt off-kilter. Even the light from the streetlamp overhead seemed the wrong colour, too harsh. The engine of Kakashi's scooter was still on, and it buzzed loudly in the background of Iruka's perception. What was happening? Where was his mother? All these questions stuck in the back of his throat, but Yasuo seemed to hear them nonetheless.
> 
> "She's gone," Yasuo said in a low, shaking voice. "She's _gone_."

* * *

"Irukaaaaaa!" Naruto's voice rings out in the morning air, vibrating along the rays of the rising sun. Iruka is already sitting at the breakfast counter and making his way through a large breakfast. Yasuo believes in large breakfasts. He refuses to let anyone out of the house without enough food to make one still feel full at ten in the morning. Even Iruka doesn't escape the parade which might include omelets, toast, pickles, fish or vegetables, with tea, juice and miso soup (as much as he tries to), and he eats slowly under Yasuo's concerned stare.

"Iruka! Iruka!" Naruto is screaming his name now, and Iruka wrinkles his nose. He glances up, meets Yasuo's gaze and reads the message there.

"Dad says you should come for breakfast, _now_!" he yells back and Yasuo nods, a firm movement of his greying head. Yasuo hardly talks. He is a quiet man, an extremely shy personality hiding behind a stern expression and a body built like a weathered slab of stone. Yasuo had worked as a correctional officer at the regional prison for years. He resigned after his wife's death, maintained the music shop until Iruka finished college and then handed it over to his son.

He has not left the house for the longest time.

Naruto is at his highest decibel level at this point. "Iruka, you should see this! COME ON."

Iruka gets up with a very loud sigh and strides to the direction of Naruto's voice: a small living space with tall narrow windows. To the left of the arched entry, a large television huddles in one corner, guarded by a few lumpy but comfortable seats, two armchairs and a long sofa. On the opposite wall, a large desk proudly bears stacks of papers and odd objects that really don't belong anywhere. A computer is on the desk, but it isn't in line with the chair, and so anyone who uses the computer has to sit sideways. Iruka glances around, but he can't see Naruto until the boy raises his hand in the air, waving it urgently; he's lying on the floor between the television and the sofa, the back of which faces the entry. Iruka takes a step forwards, and then stops, feeling his eyes grow wide.

There's some entertainment report on the television. It's full of flashing graphics and a young reporter dressed in a t-shirt, tattoos trailing down her left arm. The inset video beside her head is one that's obviously from a small camera, or a phone; the shaky view is of the music store, looking from outside the doors. Iruka spots himself at the counter, some of his long hair coiled over his shoulder and almost obscuring the UMINO LISTENS store insignia on his left shirt pocket. He can barely make out Kakashi's back, but he can see his own expression clearly. Iruka hadn't realised how surprised he'd appeared, his expression almost starstruck. He fights down a grimace now.

"Kakashi of The White Fangs was spotted in a Konoha music shop yesterday!" the reporter sang out, her excitement palpable. "For all you who _live under a rock_ , The White Fangs are kicking off their tenth anniversary tour in their hometown! Lucky Konoha!" The video next to her changes from the amateur video to a picture of the band: Kakashi and Anko, as the two most popular members, are front and center. Genma and Guy flank them both, and they're all dressed in dark, tight clothing that is simultaneously hilarious and kind of cool.

"Yeah! Lucky Konoha!" Naruto cheers. "Wait...who are The White Fangs, anyway?"

"Doesn't matter," Iruka tells him, walking to the side of the sofa so he can look down at Naruto's bright face. "They're just a band."

Naruto wrinkles his nose. "They seem famous." He processes this for a moment and then grins up at Iruka. "Hey! You know famous people!"

"Not really." Iruka hears the deliberate banging of pots from the kitchen and holds out his hand to Naruto. "Come on, you know Dad hates it when you don't eat breakfast on time."

"Sorry, Daddy!" Naruto yells so loudly that his voice seems to ring all around the small space. He leaps up from the floor and races out towards the kitchen, not even noticing that Iruka had been offering him a hand up. Iruka locates the remote stuffed between two cushions and points it to the television. The reporter is now imparting pertinent Fangs gossip: from Kakashi and Anko's destructive relationship (complete with volatile break-up and one very memorable on-stage fist-fight); Genma's forty-day marriage to an heiress twice his age; and Guy's near-fatal motorcycle accident.

_If it's one thing about The White Fangs_ , Iruka thinks, _they always give you the craziest show ever._

"But who is the owner and manager of UMINO LISTENS? Why is he important to Kakashi?" the reporter wonders with a twinkle in her dark eyes and Iruka's finger trembles over the off-button. "Fire Nation Entertainment has the scoop for you! A lot of you White Fangs fans have _no idea_ who this person is, but we do!"

"Oh, shit," Iruka mutters.

"According to our very reliable resources, this dude," the reporter continues, her voice dropping to faux-confidential murmur, "was the _original_ lead singer for The White Fangs! Which leads us to wonder, what happened?"

"WHAT?!" Naruto screeches from the kitchen, where he had obviously switched on the small television above the refrigerator. "IRUKA. WHAT THE MFFMFFR!"

Yasuo has probably pulled the old stuffing-bread-into-Naruto's-mouth trick. Iruka deeply appreciates it, but the respite is brief. Naruto chews fast.

"Iruka! You used to _sing_ in a _band_?"

Iruka smiles; this is why he loves Naruto. 

"Before you were born!" Iruka finally turns the television off and cuts the reporter's TEAM ANKO declaration. He knows that he could have never brought the same sensual fire to the band as Anko. She also possesses a strong, raspy voice, and a good range. She delivers Kakashi's lyrics with the kind of deadly force usually reserved for cage-fighting. 

When Iruka goes back to the kitchen, Naruto is obediently making his way through a large bowl of miso soup under Yasuo's grim stare. Naruto peeps up at their father, then squints at Iruka.

"Why'd you leave that band, anyway?" He wrinkles his nose and then takes a long draught of his juice before berating: "We could have been rich!"

"I had to help take care of you, silly. And I had to work at the shop." Iruka ruffles his hair as he picks up his lunch, and on impulse, he drops a quick kiss on Naruto's cheek, ignoring the childish howls of disgust. He also kisses Yasuo on his lined cheek, and gets faint smile in return. Yasuo's regard alights on Iruka's hair, firmly pulled into a braid that swings almost in the middle of his back. 

Yasuo nods and then pats Iruka's cheek, then flaps his hands in a shoo-ing motion.

"See you later, guys," Iruka calls out, walking down the narrow passage to the entry-door. He snags his keys from the bowl on a shelf a few steps away from the door, and pulls back the dead-bolts. "Dad, text me if you want any groceries--"

He pulls open the door to a storm of camera flashes and stands there for a long, disbelieving moment. There are strangers crammed on landing, right there at the top of the short flight of steps which leads up from the sidewalk. As a matter of fact, there are folks on the steps themselves, on the sidewalk, and even a few on the neighbouring porches, holding their cameras and microphones in his direction.

"Iruka Umino! Iruka, a few questions!" They yell at him, followed by almost incoherent babbling since everyone is asking their questions at once; Iruka hears something about _Kakashi's new lover_. Reflexively, he covers his face with his paper-bag lunch and retreats back into the house, slamming the door shut. He can still hear them outside, yelling through the thick wood of the door. The passage seems very dark, and Iruka tries to blink away the brightness from his eyes.

He jumps a little when he feels a soft touch at his wrist and looks up into the shadowed planes of Yasuo's face. His eyebrows arch questioningly.

"Dad, it's _crazy_ out there," Iruka answers, trying to laugh. It comes out as a kind of hysterical cackle. "They're asking if I'm Kakashi's new boyfriend, what the hell?"

"What's going on?" Naruto stands at the kitchen end of the corridor, clutching his massive cup of juice in both hands.

"I'll tell you what's going on." Iruka pulls out his cell-phone from where it's jammed in the pocket of his jeans and unlocks it. "First, we're going to call the police and ask them to get those idiots off the front porch. Second, we just use the back-gate for now." The small back lawn of the townhouse has a high wooden fence, with a gate that lets out into a narrow alley shared with another complex.

Naruto sips his juice and watches Iruka as he makes his phone call; Yasuo wanders off upstairs to peek out the windows. Luckily, a former classmate of Iruka's is on duty: Hayate promises to send over a unit soon.

After Iruka expresses his gratitude and hangs up, Naruto says: "Maybe I can't go to school today." His eyes are bright with excitement. "Someone needs to stay here and take care of Daddy. Those reporters can break in and ask him.... _dangerous questions_."

Iruka shakes his head and heads off towards the back of the townhouse. "You're going to school, Naruto. Dad can take care of himself."

"Aww! You're the worst brother in the world!"

"Yeah, yeah. Deal with it." Iruka pushes open the back-door cautiously, and releases a quick sigh when he doesn't see anyone lurking behind the fence. He locks the door, races towards the gate with alacrity and escapes down the alley like a spy on a mission. At the mouth of the alley, where it lets out out onto a main road, he glances up and down. This particular street is perpendicular to the one that runs in front of his house, which is more or less in the middle of the block. There is no sign of any reporter, although he spots a white news-truck racing past the intersection on the way to his house. A few beats after, a black and white vehicle with the words KONOHA POLICE DEPARTMENT written on the door drives past that intersection as well, but at a more sedate pace.

Satisfied, Iruka sets off for work, grinning as he hears, faintly but clearly, the voice of an officer demanding that the horde clear off that private property.

* * *

> There were about five babies in the pediatric ward, but only one had a shock of pale hair, yellow like corn silk. Iruka stood at the viewing window, staring at Kushina's son. He was an energetic little thing, and he kept waving his hands around; they were curled into tiny fists.
> 
> Iruka's eyes felt overly dry. He had wept himself to sleep the night before, after having briefly viewed his mother's body in the hospital's morgue, and glimpsing those of Kushina and Minato. Back again at the same hospital, he was keenly aware that just a few floors down, his mother lay on a metal slab, her laugh silenced forever.
> 
> Someone had told Iruka that the truck that had slammed into her car had killed both her and Minato instantly. He wasn't sure who that someone had been, a police officer or a medical person, but they claimed that Chiho and Minato might not have suffered much, which was very cold comfort. Kushina had been airlifted to the hospital in a critical state, and it seemed as if she struggled to live as long as she could so that they could take the baby. She died a few hours after, never waking up from the induced coma. 
> 
> Iruka tightened his own fists, feeling his ragged nails bite into his palms. He kept his gaze fixed on the baby, on Naruto. That had been the name Minato had mentioned, with a very small smile.
> 
> "Iruka."
> 
> Iruka didn't turn his head, and he felt Kakashi's hug as if it was happening to someone else. Kakashi squeezed him tightly, and Iruka let out a little sigh. After a few moments, Kakashi released him and stood next to him, staring through the glass.
> 
> "The blond baby," Iruka answered his unasked question. "That crib there...to the left?"
> 
> Kakashi looked and then nodded. "Oh."
> 
> "I'm leaving the band," Iruka said, because this was hard enough already and he just need to...to get this over with. "I just...I have to." That was it, it quick and sharp like ripping off a band-aid, or like one of Kakashi's songs. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kakashi turn to stare at him.
> 
> "What?" Kakashi's tone was very flat. "Why?"
> 
> "Dad and I, we're gonna adopt him." Iruka jerked her chin in the direction of the baby. "Well. Dad is. When we sort everything out. We're going to make sure the store keeps running, we're going to take care of the baby. And each other." He realised he was breathing hard and his vision was blurred with tears. He tried to calm himself and managed it after a few deep breaths.
> 
> Kakashi said, "What about the band?" and Iruka whirled towards him, the tears now spilling hotly down his cheeks. Kakashi took a step back; vaguely, Iruka wondered what his face looked like at the moment.
> 
> "What _about_ the band, Kakashi?" he hissed, and Kakashi's expression seemed frozen into a grimace. "What about my mom? What about my dad, he's under sedation upstairs, _what about him_ , Kakashi?"
> 
> "I didn't--" Kakashi began, but Iruka cut him off with a sharp movement of his hand.
> 
> "I can't," Iruka said. "That's it. I just can't." He felt as if he aged at least twenty years. He turned around again and pressed his forehead against the glass, staring at the baby as if he would never look away again. Beside him, he could feel Kakashi's gaze, and knew that he struggled to say something.
> 
> "What about me, Iruka?" Kakashi finally asked, and then walked away without waiting for the answer.

* * *

The rabble in front of the store is bigger than it had been yesterday, and Iruka stifles a groan as he alights from the bus. He had left the car at home for his father to use, just in case he felt like picking up Naruto from school today, so instead of parking around the back he has to forge his way through the press of people, fending off questions as if they are insects hovering around his head. At the door, Kotetsu lets him in and keys it shut as soon as Iruka steps through.

"Well, this is bad for business," Iruka says with a sigh and a laugh; he sobers at expression on Kotetsu's face. It is a mixture of disgruntlement and awe. It looks weird, as if he's having indigestion. "What?"

"I can't believe you used to sing with The White Fangs and you didn't even tell me." Kotetsu is actually pouting and Iruka resists rolling his eyes. "Seriously."

"It's really not a big deal," Iruka tells him and stalks up towards the cashier. "Don't even start," he tells Izumo, who mimes zipping his lips shut and tossing the invisible key over his shoulder. 

Kotetsu says, very loudly, "Well, _he's_ back there." He folds his arms when Iruka turns around to stare. "Yeah, _him_. He showed up early this morning. He signed my chest."

"Oh my god, Ko!" Izumo bursts out. "Why didn't you just ask him to sign a CD, like me?"

"I hope that was _your_ CD," Iruka says, calmer than he feels. "And not one you just pulled off the shelves."

"I paid for it." Izumo scrunches his nose for a moment. "Well. I will."

Iruka shakes his head and heads off toward the office. He ignores Kotetsu's shout of, "Hey, tell us about when you and Kakashi used to date!"

There's no-one in his office; the lights aren't even on as yet. He puts down his lunch and satchel, standing for a moment in thought.

Then, he heads for the store-room.

Kakashi sits on one of the small step-ladders, tuning an old guitar that had been forgotten back here. He doesn't look up at Iruka, who squelches the feeling that he should turn around and flee. Instead, he goes down the short, wooden flight and feels as if he's stepping back in time.

Notes fill the air as Iruka hunts for a seat. He finds an old wooden crate and drags it over, sitting near Kakashi and listening to the opening bars of a song that Kakashi now plays. As the first verse starts, Iruka recognizes it; it's from one of The White Fangs' older albums, one of the very rare slow songs. 

_What about me_ , Iruka sings the bridge very softly. Kakashi shakes his head, a movement of approval, but he doesn't look at Iruka, who sings a little louder: _what about me?_

_you didn't know, did you?_   
_You didn't even know_   
_No one believes in soul mates anymore_   
_But what about me?_   
_What about me?_

When Anko sings it, her salty-rough vocals punch through the chest and grab the heart. Iruka hears the thin softness of his voice now, how the sentiment of the lyrics is watered down. The White Fangs would have never gotten anywhere with him as the lead.

When Kakashi finishes, he murmurs, "You sound great, Iruka," and Iruka has to smile. "That was beautiful."

Iruka ducks his head and says, "Yeah, well."

"I have something to show you." Kakashi reaches into the pocket of his stylish jacket and pulls out a small, flat cardboard case. It's a CD case of course, the thick plastic ones seem to be going out of style. Iruka takes it out of his hand and stares at the image of the cover.

The name of the band is on the top edge, the font designed to look like someone's messy handwriting. The title of the album is _From A Store Room in Konoha_. The image is not of the band as it is now, which is usually the case, but of a small, cramped storage room.

_This_ room, in fact. The photo is taken from the top of the steps, looking down. The room is empty, but there are instruments, placed as if they're waiting for the musicians to arrive any moment now. Iruka knows this picture. His mother had taken it once, and gave each of them a copy. Iruka's is blown up large, and hangs in the corridor that leads to his bedroom at home. There is a warm brown quality to this album cover, sepia-tinged like a beloved memory.

"I hope it's okay to use that picture," Kakashi says, starting on another song. "Our lawyers said I should get some kind of explicit permission from you."

"If you want me to write something, I could. But it's fine, use it." Iruka holds out the CD, but Kakashi just glances at it for a second.

"You keep that. Don't show anyone until we do the official launch, though. But you didn't read the liner notes."

Iruka opens the card-like casing, gazing on the left side where the band-members thank the important people that helped them in this album. Under Kakashi's name, there is one short line.

_For Chiho Umino. This is for you_.

Iruka is not going to burst into tears back here in the store-room, but it is a very close thing. He swallows hard, closes the cover and says, "Thanks," in a voice that is barely a whisper.

Kakashi nods. He's stopped playing, and the silence is like music itself.

"This is our last album," he says and Iruka jerks his head up, staring at Kakashi with wide eyes. Kakashi nods and a small smile plays over his mouth. "We've been talking about it for awhile."

"But...." Iruka feels at a complete loss for a very long time. Kakashi starts up another song. "But, this was always your dream, wasn't it? This band, it was something you really wanted."

"People change." Kakashi taps his feet to the music. "What you want as a kid, you could grow out of it." He shifts his gaze without moving his head, staring right into Iruka's eyes with the intensity much revered in magazines. "Or not."

"Come on," Iruka says in a laugh and just like that, they're laughing together as if the past decade had never been. Kakashi shrugs and keeps walking his fingers over the strings, making that guitar spill all its secrets.

"After the band splits up, I could move back home," Kakashi says over the notes. "Buy a house. I could go on writing songs for other bands, or just..." he shrugs. "Hang out here."

"It would be a _disaster_ ," Iruka tells him, and Kakashi laughs. "We wouldn't get any work done. Well, until it all blows over. You could work as a music-teacher here, if you want. You could even write a song about _that_."

Kakashi actually laughs out loud. "You're still an asshole, Rukie."

Iruka says, "So are you," but it comes out sounding like something else, like a love song.

_fin_


End file.
